A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver (Proverbs 25:11)

It’s easy to get “caught up” as a parent, in disciplining your child, particularly if they have a myriad of behavioral, emotional and social issues. We want our children to “be okay” when they grow up, so we stress certain behavior to them.

But one underutilized tool is the “word fitly spoken.” I see the effects my words have on the faces of all of my children. They can be crestfallen, or light up like the sky on the fourth of July!

Of... more

Recently an email came around as a forward on our homeschool loop at Yahoo groups. Frequently, I just delete forwards without even looking at them, but something made me read this one. Maybe it was a little nudge from the Holy Spirit. Shannon Ethridge who is the author of Every Woman’s Battle and coauthor of Every Young Woman’s Battle wrote the article being forwarded. The article was only about the way women dress, teenager girls in particular, as that is Shannon’s focus for her books. However, as the mother of several teenage boys, I also insist that they take care in their... more

"A friend loves at all times..." (Proverbs 17:17)

Many times our children come to us with poor social skills. These can be due to trauma, neglect, abuse, medical or mental health conditions – a variety of causes.

In my own life, with my ADD undiagnosed until adulthood, I found social settings to be my undoing. I had difficulty reading social cues (like when to shut up!), and my impulsivity manifested itself in constantly interrupting others.

When my daughter first arrived, on her very first night with two new acquaintances,... more

Growing up, I struggled with depression and poor self-image. I had chronically low self-esteem. Yet, I was in the Gifted and Talented Education (GATE) program at just about every school I attended,. I was called a beauty. I was a cheerleader; captain of my debate team as well as president of the French Club. But, I hated myself. Self-loathing that I cannot adequately put into words.

True, I had mental health conditions such as depression and ADD (though at the time, undiagnosed). But it wasn’t until I became a Christian, that I could see my worth. And, even now, I still struggle with self-esteem, but I know I can read God’s Word and know that He felt I was worth sending His Son to... more

Allowing yesterday’s post to serve as a segue, today we’re talking about the value of words as they relate to self-esteem:

Let your speech always be with grace, as though seasoned with salt, so that you will know how you should respond to each person (Colossians 4:6).

Having grown up with ADD and depression that wasn’t diagnosed until far into adulthood, I know about low self-esteem! ADDers usually bear the hallmark traits of poor social skills like interrupting, not accurately reading social cues (like when to shut up!!), and being oblivious to the pain their remarks... more